What Makes Her Human
by puppylahey
Summary: AU. In which Allison is already familiar with her family's business right off the bat and Lydia is Peter's beta. How does Allison react when she finds out that the girl she's falling for happens to be a werewolf?
1. Chapter 1

The alpha who had killed several in Beacon Hills had been identified and Allison was the hunter who finally tracked him down. He was surprisingly enough, a werewolf named Peter Hale. According to her father, when the Hale family perished in a fire, Peter had been the sole survivor. He had been left with a body so broken that not even werewolf healing could bring him out of his coma. He had been in a comatose state for years, well, until he had surprisingly risen.

She had him in the middle of the woods. Her father wasn't close enough and she had to go for him. She saw the wolf tracks near a tree and drew out her bow and arrow. She was extremely eager to end him, to spare more innocent blood from being shed. It didn't take long for her to find him, in full alpha form. He growled, but then to her surprise, turned back into a handsome yet disfigured man.

"Allison Argent," he said with a slight smile. "I believe that you're here to kill me."

"I believe that I am," she said as she pointed the arrow at his throat. He was definitely unhinged. There was no secret about that. Allison definitely had a hard time killing him, especially as he was in human form, but she had to do what she had to do. Her father had told her that with this life came sacrifices and that not every kill would feel good, even if it was justified. She drew back the crossbow.

Out of nowhere, Lydia appeared, launching herself in front of the man. "Allison, no!" she yelled.

"Lyds," Allison said, her arrow never wavering in its point at Peter Hale. He was the alpha werewolf who had been causing all of the terror in Beacon Hills. He had to die. What the hel was Lydia doing in the middle of the forest at night? The girl wasn't stupid. "Lydia, you don't know what he is."

"I do," Lydia said, looking at her with big, imploring eyes. "He's my alpha."

Her heart stopped beating for a minute. When it started beating again, the beat was painful. "You're a werewolf?" she asked.

"Indeed she is," Peter answered for Lydia. "She's a werewolf and a damned good one at that."

"I'm sorry Allison…" Lydia said.

Allison couldn't help the devastation that washed over her. She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. Lydia was her best friend and Allison was absolutely in love with her. Allison felt a pain in her heart so deep that she did the stupidest possible thing that she could do. She ran.

She ran as hard and fast as she possibly could. She was going to go home, but the moment she got there decided that she couldn't face her family, knowing she'd nearly killed the alpha but hadn't. Instead she just got into her car and drove as far as she could, up onto one of the local hills. She couldn't stop crying as she drove, so she eventually stopped at a roadside rest stop.

She had fallen so hard for Lydia over the past couple of months. It had been four months since she'd come to Beacon Hills and she and Lydia had been good friends since her first day. Lydia was strong, confident and had broken up with her boyfriend Jackson because she was fed up with him treating her like crap. There was a lot of tension between the two of them and Allison was certain that Lydia was just as attracted to Allison as Allison was attracted to Lydia. She had always hoped that the two of them would end up dating one another.

She eventually drove home. She debated telling her father or her aunt about Lydia, but decided that he couldn't. They would both want to kill her too – shouldn't Allison want to kill her? Allison swallowed at the dark thoughts in her head. She got out of the car and walked inside of the house, taking a deep breath.

"Allison, where were you?" demanded her father harshly. "We were trying to call for you. You took off into the woods and then we came back and your car was gone. How were we to know that he didn't…"

Allison brushed past her father. "I missed my chance dad," she said softly. "I had him and I missed him. I was ashamed so I went for a drive. I am so sorry. Can I just please go to my room and blow off some steam? I'm really…really upset." Before her father could say anything she went right past him. She headed upstairs to her room and locked the door behind her, closing her eyes. She sat down on her bed.

It wasn't that long until there was a knock on the door, a harsh knock. It wasn't her dad, however. "Allison, open up or I'm gonna break the door down." She sighed at her aunt's voice. She loved Kate with all of her heart, but she didn't want to talk about this right now. Knowing that her aunt meant the threat, she opened the door.

"What happened tonight, kiddo?" the woman asked, walking into the room and making herself absolutely comfortable. Allison was pretty sure that Kate had never heard of personal space.

"I'm sure that dad told you," Allison said softly.

"He did," Kate said sincerely. "I have a strange feeling, however, that this isn't the whole story. Am I right sweetie?"

"Not really," Allison lied. "It's just something I've been thinking about lately that really bothers me. Aunt Kate, do you think that werewolves can be good people? I mean, I know that there's a code and we don't do anything to them unless they kill…but…you and dad, everyone seems to think that they can't."

"I used to think they could be," Kate said, looking up at Allison with a sincere expression. "I thought that I was in love with one of them once upon a time. I think, though, that as human as they are, the animal inside of them always wins."

"I see."

Kate got up then and wrapped both arms around Allison, giving her a tight hug. "Don't worry about missing out on the alpha, sweetpea," she said. "We're not going to let another person die at the hands of that monster. Get some sleep and everything will be okay in the morning, I promise."  
"Thanks Aunt Kate."

With that her aunt walked out of the room. She left Allison lost and confused as she'd ever been in her life.


	2. Chapter 2

Monday at school, Allison didn't even have to try to avoid Lydia, because the girl approached her immediately. She was the same confident, beautiful Lydia but now Allison knew the truth about just whom and what she was. She frowned at the dark images in her mind. "Allison," Lydia said softly. "I want to talk to you today after school. I deserve a chance to explain everything, don't I?"

"Lydia, I can't…"

"Please," Lydia said and there was something so deep and imploring about her eyes that Allison nodded slowly. "Alright, after school I'll pick you up," Lydia said and then off she went, flouncing away like she wasn't a werewolf. She acted as though absolutely nothing had changed between them, when really, everything had.

Lydia picked up Allison after school. Allison slid into the car and moved all the way over to the passenger door. She was ready in case anything happened, but that didn't stop the familiar fear from rising deep within her. She was with a werewolf and she had to stay alert because even the most civil of them could go barbaric. It was like Kate said, it was highly unlikely that there was such a thing as a good werewolf.

"You're heart's beating fast, Allison," Lydia said, shaking her head. "Normally that's a compliment, but right now I think that you're afraid of me. Do you really think that I'm capable of hurting you?" Lydia asked that in her normal tone, haughty and proud, aware of how much she meant to Allison. It truly was as though nothing had changed between the two girls.

"No," she said, even though she had her doubts.

"I'm the same person I was when we met," Lydia said softly. "Actually, we met very shortly after I was turned."

"How did it happen?" Allison asked, her throat dry.

Lydia kept on driving, never meeting Allison's eyes as she spoke. Her voice was soft, sweet and melodic. "I had broken up with Jackson for what seemed like the fifteenth time," she said softly. "I was upset and tired of being treated like crap just for the status I had. I was tired of a boyfriend who wouldn't respect me if I showed my true face. I was playing airhead and it was getting on my last nerve. I was walking by myself."

Her voice hitched just a little as she spoke. "I was attacked in the woods," she said. "I don't remember much except for a lot of pain and waking up in the middle of the woods with a strange bite. Peter came to me later and told me what he'd done."

Allison couldn't help the slight relief that Lydia had been turned against her will. She hadn't chosen to be a werewolf. It wasn't her fault what she was and she hadn't even wanted it. There was no way that someone could be evil when they hadn't chosen to be evil. She was just…someone who landed in unfortunate circumstances.

"I was devastated at first," Lydia told Allison in a gentle voice. "There was way too much to deal with at once, but eventually I learned to love what I've become. I really do love it, Allison. I have trained like crazy with Peter to better myself as a werewolf and consequently I've really bettered myself as a person. I've drawn myself further and further away from status that's only going to matter until the end of high school. I'm instead using my status to obtain real goals, you know what I mean? "

Allison nodded, swallowing at the way Lydia talked about being a werewolf. It was highly disturbing and brought everything she'd ever learned into question. "Peter Hale is insane," she said. "He's killed many."

"I agree," Lydia said frankly, looking into Allison's eyes. "Do you know why he's insane, Allison?"

"No."

Lydia swallowed deeply, her expression saying that she'd expected Allison to say that. "Allison, your aunt is not a good woman." She looked at Allison with an expression that almost said pity to Allison.

"What are you talking about?" she asked harshly. "Aunt Kate is…"

"The Hale fire was her doing," Lydia said bluntly. She shifted uncomfortably and crossed her legs.

"No."

Lydia spoke calmly. "Years ago, she was involved with Derek Hale," she said quietly. "Which is screwed up in its own right, but she used their relationship with Derek to get information on the Hale family pack. She managed to ignite the house and kill everyone in it, as far as we know. She killed so many people Allison. There were humans, werewolves, kids…" Lydia looked positively disgusted.

"There is no way that Aunt Kate caused that," Allison said defensively.

Lydia leaned forward and took her hand. "I love you Allison," she said. "You're my best friend, but things just aren't exactly as you believe."

"I didn't believe my best friend was a werewolf," Allison sad darkly.

Lydia sighed at her words. "Allison," she said, sounding so much more like the wise individual she was then the ditzy girl she sometimes used to pretend to be, "the same rules apply to humans and werewolves. Not all wolves are good and not all wolves are bad; the same goes for humans., right?"

Allison couldn't help the way that she stared at the other girl in shock. This was just all too much for her to take in. "Lydia I…" she whispered, having to admit that she barely understood a word of what was going on.

Lydia took that moment and Allison's confusion to lean close, pressing her lips to Allison's in a gentle kiss. It was innocent and beautiful and Allison had been dying for Lydia to kiss her, but at the same time was not prepared for all of this to come with. She kissed back, all of the passion she felt for Lydia coming through in the way she kissed her back. She pulled back and looked into Lydia's beautiful, soulful eyes. She was too overwhelmed.

Lydia pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Allison, you're crying."

Allison wiped at her eyes. She didn't even know that she had been crying. "I need to go Lydia," she said, overwhelmed. She got up and decided to walk home. She decided that would clear her head if nothing else did.


	3. Chapter 3

Allison walked home slowly. She could not figure out what her heart was telling her. There were too many voices and their signals were crossing in a terrible, awful way. She wasn't even sure if it was her head or her heart talking. She knew that her aunt was a dark person and definitely in a morally grey area at times, but could the woman be truly evil? After all, she only did the job of an Argent woman, which was to lead the family in their pursuits of werewolves.

She stopped on her way home and turned the other way. She had to get answers herself. She headed towards the old Hale house.

Allison searched around the shell of the burnt out house. She felt a bad energy coming off of it, even though she knew that it was silly to think that a house would have "energy" of any kind. It just reminded her of how many people died in that fire and how horrible it was. That was all... There was nothing else to it. She swallowed hard as she tried to convince herself that she was right.

Suddenly, Allison sensed a presence. A man was standing in front of her, looking at her with dark eyes. "Are you looking for something?" he asked. She had never seen him before but she knew instinctively that this was Derek Hale.

"No…" she said softly.

"You smell like wolfsbane," he countered bluntly.

Allison tried to speak, tried to say something, tried to make any kind of excuse but her words failed her completely. "I-I.."

"You also smell like her," he said in a voice that was low, but one that Allison heard perfectly.

"I didn't come to hurt you," Allison said, knowing very well that the words did not justify her actions in the slightest. "I just came to look around. I heard all about the…the fire that happened here but I didn't know a thing about it. I was just trying to investigate."

In the blink of an eye, the werewolf was inches away from her face, looking into her eyes. "You don't know…" he said in a harsh whisper."You really don't…"

He gripped her arm tightly, so tightly that she could feel the bruises forming on her skin. "Did you take part in Laura's death personally, little hunter?" he asked in a voice that was so low it was almost a purr. Allison was genuinely scared but she didn't reach for the weapons she had on her, because she was trying to present herself to Derek Hale as non-threatening.

"No!" Allison said. She panicked a little at that. Yes, she knew that Laura Hale was killed but she knew absolutely none of the details. She wasn't even entirely certain that hunters had killed her. Yes, they had taken care of the body, but she wasn't even sure how Derek's sister died. "It wasn't me. It wasn't…it wasn't us even." She shook her head violently. It wasn't their fault.

In what seemed like a split second, Derek gripped her and pinned her against the old crumbling house. He put her hands behind her back in a tight, skilled hold and growled in her ear. "No way I'm letting someone like you ruin my life once again," he snarled.

Allison had never felt so helpless as she did when Derek Hale tied her up, leaving her bound to a beam on the staircase of his old house. She didn't know what the werewolf wanted from her but the worst part was that she was virtually incapable of getting away from him herself. She wasn't this weak.

"Please," she said.

"That was a very poor idea, Derek Hale."

Allison turned around to see Lydia standing in front of them. She looked fierce in a red blouse that matched her lipstick. She was quite the werewolf, considering the fact that she'd changed her clothes before coming to Allison's rescue. Allison knew that Lydia would always be Lydia, no matter what kind of creature she was.

"Who are you?" Derek asked.

"Let her go and then we'll have a little chat Derek," Lydia said softly. "Actually, us talking is long overdo, but anyway, you need to let Allison go."

When he didn't respond for a moment, Lydia's eyes flashed gold. She reached out for Derek and Allison saw the werewolf claws. Her stomach twisted a little at the idea of Lydia being a werewolf, but at the same time she was so thankful that the girl she loved was there to rescue her. As much as she hated the idea of being a damsel in distress, her heart beat faster at the sight of her rescuer.

"Do you belong to the alpha?" Derek asked Lydia.

"I do," Lydia responded. "Derek, kidnapping a young hunter who barely started in the game a year ago is just bad business. It's not going to help you get justice for Laura or your family, even if she is an Argent."

As if she were threatening Derek to mess with Allison, Lydia reverted back to her human form and began to untie Allison. "Now you can see firsthand what she did to Derek," Lydia whispered in her ear. "She took absolutely everything from him and this is the man he's become."

When she was free, Allison stood up. She looked at Derek and asked the question that was heavy on her mind. "Derek," she said. "Did my aunt murder your family?" Her voice was heavy and trembling on the question. She did not want to be told the answer, honestly, because part of her already knew.

"Yes."

Her heart sunk to the floor. Allison had already known that was the answer, but at the same time she had been in such a deep denial. She loved her aunt so much. The woman was so strong and powerful. She was who Allison aspired to be ever since she found out about her family business.

"I want to talk to you," Derek said to Lydia.

"Later," she said harshly. With that commanding statement, Lydia took Allison outside of the house. Allison wasn't even sure if it was the fact that Lydia was so strong or the fact that she felt so weak and pliable, but Lydia moved her outside with no effort whatsoever. "It's going to be okay Allison," she said, brushing back Allison's hair and looking into her eyes. Lydia's beautiful eyes were filled with such a deep concern. "I'm here Allison. It's going to be okay…"

"What do I do?" she asked.

"Go home," Lydia said softly. "I need to talk to Derek before he has a werewolf anueryism and well, we need to sort things out. We're gonna need you soon, but right now you need rest. Please don't tell anyone about this, kay?"

"Kay,' she said. She nodded. She felt weaker than ever.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Lydia made sure that Allison was safely on her way home, she returned into the Hale house. She looked at Derek Hale and felt a wave of pity for him. He was someone who had lost everything years ago and lost the rest of what he had recently, at the hands of Peter. She felt more for him than she felt for most people. "Derek," she said softly, standing with her hands on her hips.

"How could you let that girl go?" he asked, his voice heavy but not betraying too much emotion. He was very, very guarded.

"You can't get revenge on Kate Argent through her niece," Lydia said plainly. He needed to know that this was not going to give him any success at all. As much as he wanted revenge on Kate, Allison was not her aunt.

"She's so much like her…"

Lydia nodded at that. "She has a lot of potential to be," she conceded to him. "She has so much good in her though, Derek. Now that she has a werewolf on her side, she's not going to become what her aunt was. I'm not going to let her be manipulated. I promise you that, because I love her." Lydia bit her lip as that confession came out of her. She was a lot more open since becoming a werewolf.

"I'm going to make sure that…that _woman _pays for what she did," Derek snarled. "I don't care who gets in the way."

"I'm sure you don't," Lydia said, slightly dismissively. She honestly felt that Kate deserved whatever the vengeful werewolf could give her, but at the same time her concern was for Allison and…believe it or not, for Peter. Yes, he was evil. Yes, he had turned her into a werewolf against her will. Yes, he had murdered Laura Hale. There were so many things wrong with Peter but at the same time he was Lydia's alpha and she cared deeply for him.

"Your alpha has killed many…"

It was like Derek was reading her thoughts. Lydia snapped out of it as quickly as she could, turning and looking him in the eyes. She nodded slowly. "He's insane," she said, not the first time that she had said those words. "He has killed many humans and…he was responsible for your sister's death, Derek." She braced herself for the storm that would follow.

It came quickly. "No!" Derek yelled at her. "He's going to pay…I'm going to rip him apart limb from limb…"

Lydia swallowed deeply. She knew that Peter deserved it, but at the same time she was pretty sure it was the wolf's instinct that made her so protective of her alpha. She sat down on an old chair and crossed her legs. "You really need to redecorate Derek," she said, not allowing herself to show any fear or emotion. She needed to stay as guarded as he was in this issue. "This place is full of ghosts and demons of the past and is badly decorated. It's a double whammy."

It was Derek's glare that finally inspired Lydia to get on with it. "Derek," she said. "The alpha is someone who is very close to you. He's family…" She swallowed, because she knew that was a huge bombshell to drop on Derek. She wasn't heartless; he had been through more than any man should.

"I have no family," he said.

"I have to show you," she said regretfully. She didn't really want to do this, but this was one of those things that had to happen. She got up and indicated that he was going to follow her. "I saw that Camaro. You're driving."

Lydia forced Derek back to the hospital where his uncle had been since the fire. Derek was confused, concerned but Lydia could not tell him anything until they were standing in his comatose, vegetative uncle's empty room. "What does this mean?" Derek asked her, looking around the hospital room as if it was playing a trick on him. He looked scared and she didn't really blame him. She had been scared too when she put two and two together, doing all the research she could on the man who had turned her into a werewolf.

"Peter Hale is my alpha," she said, bowing her head slightly, so she wouldn't have to see the pain in Derek's eyes. She was known for being a bitch sometimes, but she was far from sadistic. "Peter became the alpha when he killed Laura." She looked up into his eyes and saw the pain, shock and horror there. It was immediately, of course, eaten up by anger. Derek was one to always use anger to keep his agony hidden.

"How?" Derek asked her harshly. "How? I've been in here many times since I returned to Beacon Hills. I've checked on him. I've talked to him…even after the killings started. Even after Laura… was gone."

Lydia took a deep breath. "I only have theories, Derek," she said, "but I think that he's been awake the whole time, just trying to keep the peace for those who still knew or cared that he was in the hospital. I saw him with a woman, I think she was his nurse. He's smart. He's not going to let anyone know that anything is amiss, especially now that the Argents know who he is."

"I just don't understand…"

"My theory is that it has something to do with werewolf healing," Lydia said, even though she knew that her theory was little to no help to Derek. "It took years for the damage done in the fire to heal enough to bring him back to consciousness, but it happened." She reached out and touched his arm. He flinched away. "He's mad Derek. I don't think that he was in full possession of his mind when he killed her; in fact, I don't think he's in full possession of his mind right now. He's lost in the memories of being trapped, seeing his mate die…"

It didn't take long for Derek to take Lydia back into town and tell her to get out of his car. It was obvious that the insanity of Peter Hale did not justify his actions to his nephew. She got out of the car and hurried back home. The moment that she was home, her mind moved over to Allison. Her Allison. She sighed as the thoughts crossed her mind. She needed to help Allison but at the same time she had to help Peter.

She did not know what to do with the man. She wanted to help, but at the same time she would have to stand against him if she couldn't cure him. She had to have a mission and something to do.

"Hello Lydia, dear," Peter said as he entered her room. "Did you really have to talk to my sweet, naive nephew?" Peter asked in a playful drawl. He walked across the room and sat down on her bed.

"Yes, I did," Lydia said coldly. "I most certainly did."

"What was the purpose of Derek knowing?" he asked.

"He needed to know his enemy," she said plainly, shrugging. She was learning quickly how to play her alpha's games. "He needed to know the person who's been sitting behind the mask this whole time."

"I'm not Derek's enemy," Peter said seriously. The scariest part was that he honestly believed it. He had come out of his comatose state completely and utterly unhinged. He had no perception of his actions and no real morality. It was all because of the single night that obviously took everything he had from him.

"Peter," Lydia said, thinking about the fire. It horrified her to think about it. He looked at her. "What happened that night?"

"It was exactly what you believe, my dear," he said softly. Peter looked off into the distance but then turned back to her, looking into her eyes with ones that were both deep and soulful. "I cannot even begin to describe the feeling of helplessness. I tried so hard to get my family out, get anyone out alive. The flames were so intense that they cut off our ability to turn. We were trapped inside, left to die. My whole family perished." Lydia swallowed and the alpha shook his head silently. He regained his composure and spoke again, his words drilling themselves into her heart. "I heard every scream clearly. I don't know why I survived, pet. I tried my best to keep her safe…"

"Who?" Lydia asked.

"My mate," the werewolf said sadly. "Her name was Avery and she was a lone wolf that our pack took in. She was a lot like you, Lydia. She was beautiful, powerful and nurturing. She was…going to be having our first child."

Lydia's heart caught in her chest. "My god I am so sorry," she whispered.

"It is what it is," Peter said eloquently. For a moment she saw the man that lay beneath the insanity. He had been so broken down by the things done to him. Lydia felt so much for him; she decided in that moment that she wanted to cure him.

"Why would you kill Laura then?" she asked, thinking about Derek. "She was your family."

His expression changed at that. He was pained, but mostly tired. There was regret deep within his expression. "What happened with my darling Laura was regrettable," he said softly. "She acted rashly for an alpha, something that I cannot fault her with, considering how young and inexperienced she's always been. We had a confrontation and I realized that I could accomplish more as an alpha. I did what had to be done in a moment's rage, Lydia. I regret it to a degree."

There was a long pause where Lydia considered Peter's words, a pause that Peter interrupted by asking gently, "so what about the Argent girl, Lydia?"

Lydia frowned. "I swear to God that if you lay a hand on her I'll kill you brutally," she said softly. She looked into his eyes to let him know that she was just as capable of murder as he was. She could murder if it meant she'd be keeping Allison safe and sound.

"I would never hurt someone who means so much to you, Lydia."

She sighed deeply at that. "What do you want?" she asked, crossing her legs.

He spoke quietly but firmly. "I want to rebuild my pack," he said. "I want to create a strong, successful pack that doesn't have the vulnerabilities my family once had. I want to be with a strong group as smart as you are. I want to rise again."

"You also want revenge," she filled in.

"Yes, yes I do," he said gently. "I want revenge."

"You'll never be satisfied by it," Lydia said, knowing that much was true. Revenge was never satisfactory. It would never be enough for the werewolf. "You have to move past the fire and past the death and pain, as hard as it is…"

"I will do no such thing.


	5. Chapter 5

Allison tried her best to do some research on the Hale fire, but found that she was coming up short. There were newspaper reports, but they were lacking in detail. Years ago, the fire had been determined accidental, but there was absolutely nothing about the deaths. She needed more information and she only had one idea of how to get it.

She watched Stiles Stilinski from across their shared English classroom. Stiles was the son of the town's sheriff and very well liked, even if he had a reputation of being a hyperactive dork. She wondered if he could help her out. She wondered how she was supposed to approach him. Eventually, she just asked him if he could help her. It was simple, but she supposed sometimes that simplicity was best when getting a job done.

He looked at her with a skeptical, but amused expression. "You want me to steal confidential information from my dad because you're curious about the old Hale house fire?" he asked, using the word curious sarcastically. It was the exact word that Allison had used and she even had to admit that it sounded lame and totally forced.

"Well yeah…"

"Gee, back in the old day someone used to get to know you before asking for major breaches in his father's trust and privacy." Stiles' smile betrayed the fact that he wasn't being entirely serious. He had a very pleasant demeanor about him, which made the difficult task that Allison had to accomplish a little bit easier. "I am, however, a very nice guy, so you're on Allison. I'll try my best to help you."

Stiles was equally efficient as he was helpful. It wasn't long before she was with the boy, in his bedroom, pawing through reports about the fire that was evidently her Aunt Kate's fault. The police had been extremely confused by the sudden fire, but there was nothing to signify that arson had occurred. Allison knew that the hunters never left any evidence for the average citizen to find though.

The reports of the deaths were brutal, graphic and gruesome. Several individuals had been in the position to burn alive. The firefighters reported hearing the tortured screams of the individuals inside, but they were unable to get past some kind of barrier. Many of the firefighters said that they couldn't understand their inability to get inside the building in time. It was like someone had sealed the house, but there was no evidence of that in the reports post-fire.

It wasn't looking good.

"Look at this," Stiles said, reaching for Allison's arm and handing her a sheet of paper, "they found evidence of a weird purple powder around the house, but when they ran tests for explosives and stuff like that, it came back as wolfsbane…like the plant…"

Allison's heart sunk and she closed her eyes. She tried her best to relax but the tears started coming through her tightly shut eyes. She didn't want to believe that her aunt was capable of the murders described there. Four children and six adults had died that night. One woman was pregnant. It was brutal and it looked like the aunt she loved had done it. Why? "I need a minute," she told Stiles before walking out of the room and into the hallway. She didn't want to be rude and didn't want to run away from the boy who had helped her, but at the same time she didn't want him to see her break.

It wasn't too long until Stiles joined her in the hallway. "Allison, are you okay?" he asked, deep concern in his eyes. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You ran out like you were really, really, freaked out by what we learned."

She nodded and looked up at him, hoping he didn't see the tears, but knowing that he did. "I just know that something was fishy about that fire," she said softly. "I knew it already but what we read confirmed it, for sure. I'll find out more about it and I promise that I'll get back to you. Thank you so, so much for helping me out. It's an absolute tragedy and I know that I couldn't have asked anyone better to help me."

"It's no problem," he said, shifting awkwardly, but not asking any questions. She was thankful for that. "Um, let me know if I can help again Allison?"

"Sure," she said softly.

"Also, if you ever wanted to thank me, you could talk to my asthmatic, but sweet best friend who's absolutely hung up on you." Stiles smiled, his words meant to lighten the mood. She thought back to who he was speaking of and then smiled. Scott McCall was a sweet boy in a couple of her classes who always kept looking at her. She had no idea that meant that he liked her.

"I'm flattered Stiles," she said, "and I'd love to befriend Scott, but I'm actually interested in someone else."

With those words, she left the house and went straight to the home of that someone else. She hurried to Lydia's as fast as she could, just wanting the girl she loved to hold her and tell her that it was going to be alright.


	6. Chapter 6

After finding out the truth about her aunt's actions Allison went to Lydia. She still felt instinctively afraid of her best friend because of what she was, but she now knew that appearances were deceiving. The things that her family had been teaching her over the past year were now tainted. She had nothing to believe. When Lydia saw her face and Allison told her what she now knew, Lydia's immediate action was to pull Allison into her arms. "I'm so sorry sweetie," she said softly.

"I just don't understand anything anymore," Allison told Lydia honestly. "All of my life I was told what to believe and I felt that I…I knew. These last couple of months I've been trained as a hunter and th-that makes as much sense as anything else I was ever taught. I have no idea what to trust now. "

"Your heart," Lydia murmured gently, shrugging her shoulders. She looked insecure, which was a very strange look on someone like Lydia.

"I know you're good," Allison said softly, looking at Lydia. "At least I can trust that I know you." That meant a lot to her; even though Lydia was a werewolf, she was Allison's best friend and more. Allison loved Lydia.

Allison leaned over and took a chance. She kissed Lydia lightly, feeling their lips slide against each other perfectly. Lydia responded immediately, curling her long fingers around Allison's cheek and kissing her back. She let out a deep sigh like kissing Allison was something she'd wanted to do for years. She kissed her sweetly, tenderly and then gently moved back, looking into Allison's eyes. "Now that's something a long time coming," she said with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah," Allison agreed. She couldn't even express to Lydia how long she had wanted to be the girl to kiss her, to be with her, to love her. She had wanted Lydia so much and hadn't even known how Lydia felt about girls, about her.

They spent the whole night together, just being two normal girls in normal love. Allison ignored the fact that Lydia was werewolf and that she came from a family of vengeful werewolf hunters. The night was just for the two teenage girls exploring each other, their feelings for each other and the comfort they could find in each other. For Allison, it was satisfying and brought her to conclusions about herself she could never make before.

Allison fell asleep in Lydia's arms. It was nice, comforting and the best way to drift off. She was still hurt and betrayed but Lydia's tight hold on her had a calming, almost sedating kind of effect. She slept soundly all through the night. She turned around when she woke up the next morning, expecting Lydia to be beside her. The other girl, however, was gone. Allison reached over to find nobody there and jolted awake. "Lydia?" she asked softly, grunting and groaning, but no, the spot next to her was empty. "Lydia, where'd you go?"

Allison immediately decided to go to Lydia's house. She knew that it was probably paranoia but she wanted to know where the other girl had gone. She had faith that Lydia wouldn't leave her. In fact, Lydia was the only think that she had faith in anymore. She went straight to Lydia's house and climbed into her room. The girl's parents weren't home but she wanted to be safe. She found that Lydia was not in her room. She was not in the whole house.

When Allison returned to Lydia's room, however, to check and make sure she hadn't returned, someone was there. Peter Hale was sitting at Lydia's desk, a sad smile on his face. She gasped at the site of his scarred skin. He was a truly ghastly creature made out of what was undoubtedly a very handsome man. "Allison Argent," he said in a cordial voice. "You look so much like your aunt, sadly."

"What do you want?" Allison asked the alpha.

"I want revenge my dear," he said, looking at a photo of Allison and Lydia that sat on Lydia's desk. "I want revenge on the woman who took my family from me. It's a pretty simple thing, is it not?"

"Killing her won't change anything," Allison said bravely. She kept her hand curled around the hilt of the knife she carried.

"No, it won't," Peter agreed somberly. "Maybe Lydia will kill her."

"She wouldn't kill," Allison said, wondering if she should strike but knowing that taking on an alpha alone would be deadly. There was no way that she would win. "Lydia couldn't even kill a murderer." It was hard to see her aunt that way.

"She wouldn't," Peter consented, "unless she was given no choice. She needs to act within her alpha's wishes and killing Kate Argent is well in my wishes. It's in our nature, sweetheart."

"Where is Lydia?" Allison asked.

"Oh I sent her on a bit of a chase," Peter said calmly. "It afforded us some time to chat. Allison, you know that the resemblance between you and Kate is…stunning, right? I mean seriously."

"I'm not like Kate," she said softly.

"You have such similar qualities," he said as if in awe. "It took her little effort, really. She seduced Derek into bringing about the end of his whole family. I see why when I look at you. Derek took one look at Kate and we were all doomed."

"What are you saying?" Allison asked him.

"I believe that you'll bring the same end to my pet Lydia," he said sadly. "I believe that you could destroy her."

"I'd never hurt her."

"Argent," Peter said, walking past her and out the door. "The family of silver. What is silver to werewolves of lore? Poison."


	7. Chapter 7

Allison ran to find Lydia after that. She would not believe what the werewolf told her. She was not poison to Lydia. She loved Lydia and the werewolf was simply deluded. She also wasn't stupid. She knew that Peter was trying to lure Kate and Lydia into a battle to the death against each other. Allison was simply not going to let that happen. She followed her instinct back to the location of the old Hale house. It seemed to be where all the disasters began and ended.

She ran into Kate five minutes after arriving at the spot. Her instincts, as always, had been right on target. "Woah kiddo," Kate said, holding up both hands and looking at Allison in absolute shock. "What are you doing here?"

Allison faltered in her words, staring at her aunt with new eyes. These were the eyes that understood that while Kate Argent was everything she admired and longed to be, Kate Argent was also a woman who killed a family in cold blood just because some of them had a werewolf bloodline in them. "Why are you here?" she asked her aunt, trying to keep her voice calm.

"I'm here to kill a wolf, babydoll," Kate said with a smile that was almost evil.

"Is the alpha here?" Allison asked, knowing very well that he wasn't, but praying to God that Kate thought he was. If she was here to kill the alpha then that was okay, because the alpha had murdered several innocents. Kate was still following The Code if she was here to kill the alpha werewolf.

"I thought he was," Kate said, looking around them as they spoke. She was always on guard, like they both had been taught. They always had to be on guard. "I'm not as sure now, though. I at least saw a female beta a half hour ago. I'm gonna catch her."

Allison's heart dropped at that. She tried to avert her gaze so that Kate was unable to see the pain in her eyes. "Why would you want to catch a beta?" she asked softly. "We don't have any proof that anyone except an alpha killed, right? I…I mean she could be a total innocent and we don't want to risk breaking our code."

"You're definitely your father's daughter," Kate said with a fond, but slightly condescending tone in her voice. "Hopefully we won't have to kill the good ol' girl but if we do, then it's just another wolf in the ground, you know?"

Allison backed away slowly. She really had never known the aunt she claimed to love so much. "Aunt Kate," she said. "You don't follow The Code, do you?" She took a deep breath and then turned around. She had to find Lydia before the two women found that they were trapped in a battle they both could not get out of alive. She didn't want to see either of them die, but she was going to protect Lydia at all costs.

Allison searched for Lydia for what seemed like forever. When she finally found the other girl in fully human form, hiding in a clearing between the big trees that blanketed the area, she threw her arms around her and practically sobbed. "Allison," Lydia whispered, hugging her back with an equal intensity. Allison let go and for a moment the only thing she could do was marvel about how Lydia remained impeccably beautiful even in the middle of the forest. "Allison are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Allison said softly, looking into Lydia's beautiful eyes. "Kate's here, she's after you."

"I know she is," Lydia said calmly. Allison didn't know how the other girl could be so calm about that, knowing what her aunt was capable of doing. "Peter arranged this little meet up, I'm sure. It's alright, Allison, we'll handle it."

"Oh babydoll, I suspected that you got yourself tangled up with a werewolf, but I never imagined it'd be such a pretty little girl."

Allison flipped around to find herself face to face with her aunt. She looked at Lydia and then back to Kate. "Do not touch her," she told her aunt, boldly. "I swear if you even try then I'll do what I have to in order to protect her."

"I think she knows I'm capable of protecting myself," Lydia said, extending her claws for show. Kate just rolled her eyes at that.

In a split second Kate pulled out her crossbow and fired a shot at Lydia. Lydia dodged it expertly while Allison hit the ground herself. She pulled herself back together though and at that point Lydia had transformed and lunged at her aunt. "Lydia!" Allison screamed while watching the two grapple on the ground. She had never imagined Lydia as a physical combat kind of person but she supposed the werewolf instinct was strong enough to take care of that.

For a moment the werewolf and the human let go of each other, so Allison did what she could. She put herself in between them, wishing more than anything that she had her crossbow. "Kate!" she shrieked. "Lydia never did anything!"

Her aunt was on the ground, panting and bleeding. "Allison, sweet Allison, "she said. "She may not have yet but she will. Look at what her alpha has done to all of those people." She then took a knife and went for Lydia, who shoved Allison out of the way so hard that she hit the ground.


	8. Chapter 8

The fight between Lydia and Kate only took a moment. Allison's vision blurred at the claws and arrows of it all. She then threw herself in between them, yanking her aunt off of Lydia. Her father had really just begun to train her in hand to hand combat, but Allison knew that she was physically strong enough to hold her own. "You know what the difference between you two is?" Allison asked, staring her aunt down. Her aunt was looking at her like she was set to kill but Allison knew that Kate wouldn't touch her. She knew that she was the wicked woman's one weakness. "She won't kill you, as much as it would make her life easier."

"She might not but I will."

Allison flipped around and saw Derek standing there. He looked at them with the most intense anger that she had ever seen. She shivered because it was that overpowering. Derek looked at Kate with the most insane hate in his eyes that she had ever seen. She looked o her aunt who was backed up with nowhere to go. The hate in her eyes was just as overpowering as his was. She and Lydia were caught in the crossfire of this hate.

Kate laughed very softly. She clapped her hands sarcastically. "Why hello sexy," she said with a grin. "I'm glad that you finally showed up. I was hoping to kill one beta bitch, but here I am taking care of some unfinished business. You should have burned with them Derek. You should have been in that house screaming for mercy."

"And yet you knew I wouldn't be," Derek said with a snarl. "Could it be that Kate Argent took some pity on her teenage boyfriend?"

"You wish sweetie."

"You'll wish that you could burn like they did," Derek said. His voice was strong, but Allison could hear the wavering there. He was a hurt little boy who had been damaged by her aunt's evil. "You'll end up wishing that all I do is choose to watch you burn. I am going to rip your insides out while your heart is still beating. I'll skin you alive and keep you alive until the last breath escapes your lungs. I'll do it and I'll relish in every second until you die."

With that, he pinned her by the throat. He grabbed her as tightly as he possibly could until she was struggling for breath. "You killed kids, you know that? Three human children and four werewolf children. You wanna tell me they deserved what they got Kate?" His claws sunk into her flesh and for a moment Allison was wishing with all her heart that Derek would kill the aunt she'd loved and admired since she was a small child.

"Derek stop."

Peter stood in front of them looking as calm and collected as ever. His scarred face twisted into a smile. "As much as I'd love to see this heartless sociopath die for what she did, it has to be my newborn beta that does it." He looked to Lydia with a twisted, yet paternal look in his eyes. Lydia looked a little panicked despite the bravery she had been putting on. Allison knew Lydia enough to know that the other girl was a little bit scared.

Lydia backed off, strikingly human in comparison to how much of a werewolf she'd been moment before. "I refuse," she said. As she refused, Derek didn't loosen his grip on Kate. He still held her as tight as he possibly could by the throat. He looked ready to kill but at the same time the appearance of the uncle he'd believed dead for so long seemed to paralyze him.

"Now stop that Derek," Peter cooed. "Since Laura died, I am sort of your alpha now."

That was all it took to break Derek away from Kate. He tossed her against the wall and turned completely, lunging for his uncle. Allison backed off as Peter and Derek grappled on the ground, the alpha werewolf overpowering the smaller beta by far. She knew that if Derek didn't think of something he was going to be killed.

Derek broke free of Peter's grip, coming from under him and kicking him square in the chest, hard. Peter flew back against the wall, growling and going full alpha. Allison watched in absolute horror, backing into Lydia who put both arms around her and drew her behind her back.

Peter did not go for Allison, however. He went to Lydia and attacked her. Lydia gasped and fell and with that, Allison was Peter's. He gripped her by the neck and held, tightly, turning back into the deranged human that lay beneath the werewolf skin.


	9. Chapter 9

"I do not want to kill you Lydia," Peter said, leaning into his beta's ear and snarling. Lydia shivered at that. It was a subdued motion but Allison caught it completely. "I do not want to kill you just as I did not want to kill my dear niece Laura. I had to though, because as darling as she is, she would not submit. You must submit to me. It is the natural order of the creature that you have now become. There is nothing to be ashamed of but you must submit."

Allison's eyes darted about, searching for anything that she could use as a weapon against the deranged werewolf. Before she could find a strategy, however, Derek lunged at the werewolf. He pushed Peter off of Lydia, transforming as he bit at his uncle. The blood was flowing and Allison saw red because it was absolutely everywhere. She screamed and Lydia, in defense of Allison, turned as well. She and Derek teamed up on the other werewolf. That was when Allison saw her aunt attempting to escape the scene. She went after her.

She shoved the woman to the wall. "Gonna side with a werewolf over your own aunt kiddo?" Kate asked, shaking her head and looking at Allison with a sad, forlorn expression. Allison couldn't help the slow buildup of guilt. She wasn't supposed to feel guilty. Her aunt was a cold blooded killer who was even manipulating her in a dire situation. Everything that she'd previously known was kind of a lie.

She slammed her aunt to the wall and grabbed her bow. "I'm going to need this," she said, taking it and loading it with a grin. Her aunt had always taught her to be ruthless and now she was going to use it. "I'd suggest backing off Aunt Kate, or you're gonna end up dead."

She took aim at Peter, who was grappling with Derek, but Derek flipped the alpha over and the arrow whizzed past both of them. Derek looked at her with fierce blue eyes and shook his head. She tossed him her knife. It flew past the alpha's other shoulder and Derek took it in werewolf hands that slowly became human again. She was frozen in place with an empty crossbow when Derek took the knife she'd tossed him and stabbed it into Peter's shoulder. The alpha let out a dangerous, animalistic howl. Lydia came up from behind Derek just as Derek used the knife in hand to slash Peter's throat. The man turned back into a human as the knife was drawn across his skin. Allison saw him die and watched the red bleed from his eyes and into Derek. When Derek looked at her he was wearing the mask of a full grown alpha.

Lydia looked at Derek with fear and a respect that Allison knew was purely animalistic. He was Lydia's alpha at that moment.

Kate took the opportunity and lunged for Lydia. The beta howled as a blade sunk into her shoulder and she turned around, slashing Kate in the face with her claws. Allison stood poised with the arrow as Kate got Lydia into a prone position. She saw the flash of pure hate in her aunt's eyes and knew that Kate would not hesitate to kill the girl she loved. She knew that her aunt didn't care that Allison loved Lydia. She would kill her anyway.

Just as Kate moved Allison let her arrow fly. She closed her eyes but that didn't stop her from seeing the arrow as it passed through her aunt's throat. Kate fell to the ground clutching her throat. She looked at Allison with an expression of pain and betrayal that forced Allison to open her eyes again. She knew that her aunt would kill without a second thought but Kate had never expected the same of the niece she had called docile and innocent.

Kate had taught Allison how to shoot-to-kill. Allison had only been eight when she started to learn archery. "You need to aim here," Kate had told her, raising her crossbow a little so that the scope landed directly on the throat of the practice dummy in front of her. "You always shoot to kill because your enemy is always aiming to kill you."

She dropped to her knees, sobbing. She had always been destined to shoot to kill but she had always assumed it was some evil werewolf, some distant enemy that would die at her hands. She closed her eyes again and the tears came crashing out as the world went dark around her. She felt delicate feminine arms around her but she didn't care.

It was over.


End file.
